Paper decurling apparatus



Nov. 10, 1953 J. R. BAUMGARTNER PAPER DECURLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. l, 1951 Raw-.aune

` DYNAMI:

Blanc Patented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,658,432 PAPER DECURLI'NG APPARATUS- John R. Baumgartner, Milwaukee, Wis. Application February 1, 1951, Serial No. 208,969

2 Claims. 1

The invention relates to decurling apparatus, that is, apparatus for taking the curl out of a supply roll of paper previous to the feeding of the paper as a web to a printing press or to paper fabricating apparatus.

The object of the invention is to provide a decurling apparatus in which the paper from the supply roll is carried over a series of heated ironers and given a reverse curl which compensates for the initial curl of the paper in the roll so that on leaving the decurler the paper is in a substantially fiat condition. Tensioning rolls are associated with the heated ironers and are adjustable to different positions to vary the decurling action of said heated ironers as the paper is unwound, the decurling action being increased as the diameter of the paper on the supply roll diminishes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a decurling apparatus using heated decurler ironers which act to heat the paper web so that when this web is fed through a printing press, the ink applied to the web will be dried quicker because of the initial heating of the web.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of paper decurling apparatus embodying the invention, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a detailed vertical sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end View of the apparatus, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a circuit wiring diagram.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 6 designates spaced uprights forming part of the frame of the apparatus in which the shaft ends of a paper supply roll spindle 1 are journalled and spaced decurler rolls or ironers 8 are mounted. Each of the ironers 8 are preferably of a small diameter and have a hollow interior 9 through which steam from a suitable source of supply is circulated, there being a steam inlet pipe connection In at one end of the ironer and a steam outlet pipe connection i I at the other end of the ironer. The ironers 8 are stationary units.

Paper wound up on the spindle or roll 1 is drawn off as a web by any suitable feed mechanism and passes over the decurler ironers 3, and to hold the web in contact with these ironers, larger diameter unheated idler rolls I2 are mounted between the ironers 8.

Each of the idler rolls I2 has its shaft ends I3 journalled in bearing boxes or blocks I4 slidably mounted in guide slots I5 in the uprights 6. The blocks I4 are simultaneously movable in the slots t5 t@ bring the .T9115 I2 closer to er further away from the ironers 8 by motor driven mechanism including at each side of the apparatus a chain I6 anchored at one end to the upper end of the block I4 for one roll and at its other end to the lower end of the block I4 for the other roll. A similar chain I1 is connected to the opposite ends of the blocks I4. The chain I6 runs over sprockets i3 and I9, and the chain I1 runs over sprockets 2Q and 2i, said sprockets being suitably supported from the adjacent uprights 3. With this arrangement driving one of the sets of sprockets I8, I9, 2Q, or 2| will cause the chains I1 and I5 to move the blocks I4 up or down in the slots I5. In the present instance the sprockets I9 for the chain drives above described are mounted on a shaft 22 journalled in the frame and carrying a worm wheel 23 meshing with a worm 24 on the extended end of the shaft 25 of a reversible electric motor 26 which is provided with a dynamic brake, the worm and worm wheel providing a speed reduction drive. Thus when the motor shaft 2-5 is turned in one direction, the gears I9 are driven to raise the blocks I4 in their guides, and when said shaft 25 is revolved in the opposite direction, the gears I9 are driven to lower said blocks.

For controlling the motor, limit switches 21 and 28 are included in the motor current supply circuit, the switches 21 and 28 being normally closed micro-switches. The switch 21 may be opened by having its actuator strike -a spring finger 29 on the lower end of a lengthwise adjustable control rod 38 slidably mounted in a guide block 3| and locked in adjusted position by a set screw 32. The switch 21 is mounted on one of the blocks I4 which block also carries a spring finger 33 for engagement with the actuator of the switch 28 to open said switch when the rolls reach their lower position.

The switches 21 and 28 are shown connected in circuit with the motor 26 in Fig. 5. The motor is here shown as a three phase reversible electric motor whose current supply is controlled in one direction by relay or solenoid operated switches 34 and in the opposite direction by relay or solenoid operated switches 35, the coils 36 for these relays being shown. The switches 34 and 35 are connected to the current supply wires 31 as shown.

A reversing switch, comprising a normally open switch 38 and a normally closed switch 39 have their movable switch elements connected for operation by a solenoid whose energizing coil 40 is in a control circuit 4I provided with an on and off switch 42. Both of the switches 38 and 39 have one of their terminals connected by a conductor 43 to one of the supply wires 31. The switch 39 has its other terminal connected by a conductor 44 to one terminal of the switch 28 while the switch 38 has its other terminal connected by a conductor 45 to one terminal of the switch 21. The other terminal of the switch 28 is connected by a conductor 46 to one terminal of one of the coils 36 whose other terminals are 3 connected-together .and to another of thesupply lines 31 by a conductor 41. The other terminal of the switch 21 is connected by conductor 48 to the other terminal of one of the coils 36.

With the above arrangement when theswitch 42 is closed to energize the solenoid `ilft-he'normally closed switch 39 is opened'and fthe switch 38 is closed, allowing current .to pass from `the supply line 31 and conductor 43 through conductor 45 and closed switch 21 to the conductor 48, the right hand coil 36 to conductor 41 connected with another branch of the supply line 31, thus energizing the coil 36 and closing the switches 35 to establish correct ow through the motor 26 to turn the gears I9, and vthrough the chains I6 and I1 and their associated sprockets both sets of bearing blocks I-4 are moved upwardly until the actuator for switch 21 vstrikes the previously set spring 29 and rod 30 at which time the switch 21 is opened and the right 'hand coil 36 is deenergized, thus opening the switch 35 and stopping the motor 26 aided by its dynamic brake. Thus by adjusting the position of the stop rod 36, the blocks through the motor drive may be raised to different positions relative to the ironers 8, the stop rod being in a lower position than that shown at the start of removing the paper supply from its ro'll 1 and being raised to different higher Vpositions as the supply roll diminishes in diameter until the lrolls I2 reach the positions shown in full in Fig. 2, it being noted that the closer the rolls I2 approach the ironers 8 the greater the decurling effect-exerted on the kpaper web will be.

From the position shown in Fig. 2, therolls vI`2 are lowered to their lowest position in which the switch 2B is open to again shut 01T the motor 26 by opening the switch 42, thereby deenergizing the solenoid 49, opening switch 38, and allowing switch 39 to close, so that `current from `the line 31 and conductor 43 then `passes through closed switch 39, conductor 44, closed switch 28, conductor 46, left hand coil '36, conductor 41 to another branch of the supply line 31, thus closing the motor switches 34 to rotate the motor 26 in the reverse direction .and hence rotate the sprockets I 9 ,to move the chains I6 and `I1 to move the .blocks I4 downwardly in the slots I5 until the finger 33 strikes the actuator of the switch 28 and the left hand coil A36 is deenergized so that the switches .34 are opened and the motor 26 is stopped with its brake applied. In the lower position of the blocks AI 4 or when the spring finger 33 engages the actuator switch 28, it will be apparent from Fig. 2 .that the rolls I2 will -be below the ironers and the paper web freeof the ironers. The blocks I4 are moved to their lower position when the -press is stopped so that the web is out of contact with the ironers.

With the above apparatus as the web of paper isdrawn over the heated ironers 8,-the heat from these rolls tends to draw out moisture from the paper and to soften to some extent its plastic bond of bers, and by reversing the curl from that of the initial curl produced by winding the paper on its supply roll, the web is flattened or decurled and at the same time said web is heated so that in case of printing when the heated web goes `through the press, the heat imparted by the decurler to the web causes a more rapid drying of ink deposited on this heated web.

While the ironers 6 have been shown as hollowinternally heated rolls, it will be understood that these ironers may take other forms of .rounded 4. top members and be heated 4by Yother mediums than-steam.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such 'limitations are included in the claims.

vlVhatlLclaim as my invention is:

1. In .an apparatus for removing the curl from a supply roll of paper, the combination of spaced ironers having rounded surfaces against which the web of paper fed from said supply roll is drawn, a roll over which the web is looped between sa-id ironers to bringtthe web into contact with said ironers to 3form a reverse curl in the web as it passes over said ironers from that of the initial curl, a movable .support for said roll to move said roll to bring the lweb 'from a smaller web area-contacting position with said ironers during the initial feed of the paper from said supply roll to a larger web area-contacting position with 'said ironers as the amount of the initial curl in the supply roll becomes larger, means for moving said support 4toward `said ironers to increase the web contacting area of said ironers and 'for moving said support away from said ironers-to free the web from contact therewith including la reversible electric motor, a source of current for said motor, and control means for said current including a limit switch carried by said support, and adjustable means for operating said limit switch to stop the motor and the movement of saidsupportrelative'to said ironers.

2. ,In anapparatus Afor .removing the curl from a supply roll of paper, the combination of spaced ironers having 'rounded surfaces against which the web of paper fed from said supply roll is drawn, a roll over which the web is looped between the ironers to bring the Aweb into contact with said ironers and acting in `conjunction therewith to form a reverse curl in the web as it passes over said ironers from that of 'the initial curl, a movable support for said roll to move said roll to bring the web from a smaller web areacontacting position with said ironers during the initial feed of the paper from said supply roll to a larger web area-contacting position with said ironers as the amount of the initial curl in the supply roll becomes larger, means for moving said support toward said ironers to increase the webcontacting area of said ironers and for moving said support away trom said ironers to free the web from contact therewith including a reversible electric motor, a current supply circuit for said motor including a relay operated reversing switch, a control circuit for said switch, and limit switches in said control circuit, one of said limit switches being mounted on said movable support, adjustable means Afor operating said last named limit .switch to .stop the motor and the movement of .said support .relative to said ironers, the other of said linut switches being operable to stop the motor when said support reaches a predetermined position for said roll relative to said .ironers.

JOHN R. BAUMGARTNER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,654,946 Sinks Jan, 3, 1928 1,792,596 ,Livingston Feb. 17, 1931 2,316,811 Osgood Mar. 6, 1945 2,373,040 MacDonald et al. Apr. 3, 1945 2,531,619 Gonia Nov. 28, 1950 2,600,295 Hommel June 10, l1952 

